duplicate

American  

[doo-pli-kit, dyoo-, doo-pli-keyt, dyoo-] / ˈdu plɪ kɪt, ˈdju-, ˈdu plɪˌkeɪt, ˈdju- /

noun

duplicates plural

1. a copy exactly like an original.

   Synonyms:

   reproduction, replica, facsimile

   Antonyms:

   original

2. anything corresponding in all respects to something else.

3. Cards. a duplicate game.

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verb (used with object)

duplicates, present (3rd person singular) duplicated, past participle, past duplicating present participle

1. to make an exact copy of.

2. to do or perform again; repeat.

   He duplicated his father's way of standing with his hands in his pockets.

3. to double; make twofold.

verb (used without object)

duplicates, present (3rd person singular) duplicated, past participle, past duplicating present participle

1. to become duplicate.

adjective

1. exactly like or corresponding to something else.

   duplicate copies of a letter.

2. consisting of or existing in two identical or corresponding parts; double.

   Synonyms:

   twofold

3. Cards. noting a game in which each team plays a series of identical hands, the winner being the team making the best total score.

idioms

1. in duplicate, in two copies, especially two identical copies.

   Please type the letter in duplicate.

duplicate British  

/ ˈdjuːplɪkəbəl /

adjective

1. copied exactly from an original

2. identical

3. existing as a pair or in pairs; twofold

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noun

1. an exact copy; double

2. something additional or supplementary of the same kind

3. two exact copies (esp in the phrase in duplicate )

verb

1. (tr) to make a replica of

2. (tr) to do or make again

3. (tr) to make in a pair; make double

4. (intr) biology to reproduce by dividing into two identical parts

   the chromosomes duplicated in mitosis

Synonym Usage

See imitate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• duplicability
  noun
• preduplicate
  verb (used with object)
• duplicable
  adjective
• duplicative
  adjective
• nonduplicating
  adjective
• quasi-duplicate
  adjective
• self-duplicating
  adjective
• unduplicated
  adjective
• duplicately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• duplicates
  plural

Participles

• duplicating
  present
• duplicated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• duplicate
  simple
• duplicates
  simple
• have duplicated
  perfect
• has duplicated
  perfect
• am duplicating
  progressive
• are duplicating
  progressive
• is duplicating
  progressive
• have been duplicating
  perfect progressive
• has been duplicating
  perfect progressive

Past

• duplicated
  simple
• had duplicated
  perfect
• was duplicating
  progressive
• were duplicating
  progressive
• had been duplicating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will duplicate
  simple
• will have duplicated
  perfect
• will be duplicating
  progressive
• will have been duplicating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of duplicate

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin duplicātus (past participle of duplicāre “to make double”), equivalent to duplic- (stem of duplex ) duplex + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

Duplicate describes something that's an exact copy. If you tend to accidentally lock yourself out of your car, it's a good idea to carry a duplicate key with you just in case. The word duplicate is useful when you're talking about a copy of something, like a duplicate of your birth certificate that you keep in a file, or a duplicate driver's license that you apply for after losing the original one. The verb duplicate is pronounced differently, with a long a sound, and it means to make a copy of or to multiply times two. The Latin root, duplicatus, means "to double."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

duplicate duplicates duplicated duplicating

I’d like to congratulate Mel Brooks on making it to the age of 100, but I’m not sure I want to duplicate his achievement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

India's Election Commission says the revision is meant to weed out duplicate or outdated entries and add genuine voters.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026

The extra disclosure would duplicate existing reporting by the company, Manifold wrote in a statement on the company website.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

A second analysis focused on 90 duplicate samples to determine whether storage conditions affected accuracy.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 31, 2026

Adams would then proceed to call accused number three, and so on, and the whole procedure would duplicate itself until every accused was called in this fashion.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Under the law, the Justice Department can withhold files if they are duplicates; fall under attorney-client privilege; could hurt a continuing investigation or are completely unrelated to the Epstein and Maxwell cases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026

Miguel Sangalang, director of the Bureau of Street Lighting, said there are 33,000 open service requests to fix streetlights across L.A., although some may be duplicates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

“Before you go out and shop, check all the cupboards,” she said, to avoid buying duplicates.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 25, 2026

A single cell duplicates three billion DNA letters and manages to distribute perfect copies to both daughter cells.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 10, 2025

The mousy brown librarian has sent copies of the Tavernier and the Streeter and even—most remarkably— stencil duplicates of de Boodt’s 1604 Gemmarum et Lapidum Historia, written entirely in Latin.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Beyond these broad patterns lies enormous individual variation: blood vessels may follow different routes, muscles may be absent or duplicated, and even the folding patterns of the brain differ from person to person.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026

Its elements have been duplicated, sampled and reimagined so many times that it now exists in countless forms, offering endless ways in.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Dorsey’s lieutenants often clashed in his absence, leading to teams with duplicated roles and resources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

While the United States employs around 30 different weapon systems, Europe has an often duplicated 178.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

Buck duplicated the manœuvre, this time to the left.

From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London

Countries seeking to protect domestic companies are also duplicating efforts, such as building too many different types of armored vehicles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

"Patients may not realise they are duplicating ingredients, exceeding recommended amounts, or taking products that could interact with prescribed medicines," says Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

Instead, it can draw on existing mental components, recombine them, and avoid duplicating work, a strategy that current AI systems generally lack.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2025

Guthy had made a living duplicating audiocassettes for medical conferences and real estate professionals selling home study programs who would then turn around and sell them to customers for hundreds of dollars on infomercials.

From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2025

Sophie grabbed a leaflet and noted that it had been produced on a duplicating machine.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• clone
• copy
• imitate
• mirror
• replicate
• reproduce